This invention relates to photography, and more particularly, to a new continuous film feed type of camera. Cameras constructed in accordance with the concepts of this invention are particularly adapted, among other possible uses, for use in an aircraft or space vehicle for taking wide angle scan photographs.
As understood in the photographic art, a strip camera is a continuous film feed type which produces a photographic record in the fore-to-aft mode, i.e., along the path of the aircraft in which the camera is mounted. However, heretofore, the use of this type of camera was limited to relatively narrow field angles, and hence, panoramic type cameras became popular. A panoramic camera is one in which the optical axis sweeps or scans the view to be photographed particularly in a transverse mode, i.e., at right angles to the direction of movement of the vehicle on which it is mounted. However, such panoramic cameras are not entirely satisfactory due to their inherent mechanical complexity, required to effect the scanning motion.
A related patent in this field is the Scott U.S. Pat. No. 3,821,763, which is assigned to the same Assignee as the present application. This patent describes an image-forming optical system which includes elements arranged rotationally symmetric about an axis. The system is optically corrected to produce adequate imagery in an annular zone centered on the axis with all points in the zone possessing field angles other than zero, and at least one image surface conforms substantially to at least a part of the zone. Aperture limiting means are provided to define at a conjugate focal surface an area whose points possess field angles corresponding to the field angles of points in the zone. The aperture limiting means is positioned to define an object field area imaged on the image surface, and means are provided to scan the object field area with respect to the system.